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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28125069">under the moon beams</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starcrossreylo/pseuds/starcrossreylo'>starcrossreylo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Don't get mad at me, East of the Sun West of the Moon AU, F/M, For Anissa, I don't know it's in the fairy tale if you don't know the fairy tale, I'm so sorry there isn't smut, but add a little spice, uhhh i don't know, using people to pay off debts?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:33:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,112</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28125069</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starcrossreylo/pseuds/starcrossreylo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Plutt, her guardian in the icy tundra, shoved her towards the towering man in black, his helm glinting in the light of the lanterns of his sleigh.</p><p>She was the stranger's now, amongst the coldest nights of winter.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Reylo After Dark's Nightmare Before Christmas Exchange 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>under the moon beams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulpines/gifts">vulpines</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I only hope I can do this justice for you, Anissa. Happy Holidays, hon. Thank you for being there for me, and for being my friend.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was a whirlwind of brisk whispers and harsh looks. Rey was taken by the elbow, and dragged from her workstation. The two men spoke in a language that she didn’t understand, her eyes darting around, desperate for any information. Plutt, her guardian in the icy tundra, shoved her towards the towering man in black, his helm glinting in the light of the lanterns of his sleigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be good,” Plutt hissed, turning and disappearing back behind the door. It was just her, the stranger, and the dark. Silently, the stranger pulled his cloak from his shoulders and draped it around her own, wrapping the dark, warm fur around her. The relief she felt was instantaneous. Rey wrapped it further around her, basking in the luxury. The stranger lifted his hand to her temple, and then she knew nothing. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The room was light when she woke, the cool air invading her cocoon of blankets as Rey poked her face out to observe her surroundings. Dark wooden walls surrounded her, blending into the rock of the furthermost wall. She rolled, staring at the dancing shadows that the flame of a nearby candle produced. They swirled, hypnotizing Rey with their waltz. How she wanted to be the shadow of a flame, temporary until the wind blew her away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey jolted up, the furs falling to her lap. The movement pulled her eyes down to the white wool shift. Thin green ribbon cinched the sleeves around her wrists, tied neatly into a bow. Whoever had pulled her from her cotton rags, and dressed her in the thick nightgown had taken care of her. She brushed her hair off of her shoulders, glancing around her for any clues as to whom Plutt had given her. Her eyes fell to a letter, wrapped in the same green ribbon around her wrists. She hastily untied it, scrambling to read it for more information. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>Kira, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Unkar Plutt agreed to pay his debts by gifting me you. The manor is yours to explore. Plutt has gifted you to me, making you mine in every way, which means you are the lady of the house now. Please request anything you may need, and it will be gifted to you. Do not worry about food, clothing, or shelter, as I will always provide that for you. I am a monster, but I mean you no harm. My mask stays, as it is to protect you from my rather...unattractive appearance. I doubt I will see you again, but I wanted to let you know...You are safe here.</em>
</p><p>
  <span>She pulled away from the letter, the green ribbon limp in her hand. The stranger knew her legal name, the one that she guessed Plutt had signed her away with. The lack of clues as to her captor was staggering, as there was nothing that would tell her who the stranger was. They had said that they were a monster, but their face had been hidden beneath a helm of obsidian. Was it to hide their face from her? </span>
</p><p><span>Questions flew through her mind, and Rey found it ever frustrating that she had the answers to none. Sliding out of the large bed, she quickly found fur-lined slippers, and then pulled a wrap around her. Rey’s hand slid around the handle of the door, yanking it open to find a small woman there. Rey let out a shriek, jumping back. </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>“Oh, hush, child,” the older woman tutted, brushing by Rey with ease. “Here are your dresses for today. I am expected to help you bathe and clean yourself. Back into the room, you go, and then you can finally have breakfast. I know you’ve been working the mines your whole life, but you must not bring that filth into my household, as the master will be displeased. I’ve kept this house tidy for the past half-decade and I have no intentions of you messing it up.”</span></p><p>
  <span>Rey blinked, trying to grasp who was in front of her. She opened her mouth to ask an ever-present question but was again interrupted by the older woman. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My name is Maz, and I’m the head maid, and the only maid,” she explained, closing the door that Rey had tried to walk out of. “The master of the house will not answer any of your questions, and Chewy and I can only answer a few.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who is-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My husband. Chewy is the master of the stables.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey closed her mouth as she watched Maz tidy the bed quickly, seemingly magically. She’d never seen anyone that quick straightening a room. The older woman glanced at Rey, her large brown eyes staring into the depths of her soul. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you go through the other door, there is a tub of water waiting for you. Do hurry, otherwise, it was a waste of warming snow.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the promise of warm water, Rey wasted no time slipping into the other room, where she shed her clothes and slipped into the deep tub. It was an experience like no other. With Plutt, they were lucky to bathe in the summer, sneaking away to frigid streams to refresh themselves. In the winter, it was done hastily with snow and a few precious shavings of soap. Warm water, in a bath, nonetheless, had not been something that she ever experienced. The heat relaxed her muscles. The relaxation stopped when Maz came in and took over her bathing efforts. Rey had never been scrubbed so harshly in her life. Her hair was just as thoroughly cleaned. After being dried, dressed, and her hair dried, she was sent out of the house by Maz, left to explore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was amazed at the manor, which stood at the entrance of a fjord, as Rey stared out a small window at the scene below. The water stood still, like prey frozen in her gaze. It was a mirror, and she wanted to disappear into it. She wanted to know what lay beyond, what her future here at the manor would be.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>She was not used to the silence that wrapped around her at night, muted by the deep snow that lay along the ground. Rey couldn’t stand it, it felt like something was lingering over her shoulder, staring her down in the depths of the night. Curiosity nipped at her toes like the cold of the room, and Rey’s thoughts lingered on the stranger that had brought her here. Like the wilderness outside, she froze, hearing the door creak open. Footsteps sounded softly on the wooden floor, and the mattress dipped on the other side. Something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span>, laid down, the linen shifting alongside her. Soon, snores filled the room, breaking the silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fear fought to keep her awake, but exhaustion won the battle, and she soon fell asleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the morning, the person was gone. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>Her days were lonely, and soon, the harsh winter melted into spring, with gentle blossoms breaking through the snow. Spring may have brought new beginnings for nature, but she was still living a monotonous routine: finding something, breaking it down, and repairing it. It filled the void between the brief times that she saw Maz at meals. She had met Chewy twice. She hadn’t seen the stranger again. Answers about the stranger were nearly impossible to get from Maz, and Chewy never spoke to her in more than grunts of affirmation. </p><p>
  <span>There’s the other stranger in her bed. It was a man, she’d discovered after a few days, with soft hair that brushed against her back, and large hands that liked to hold her on the harshest of winter nights. They said nothing to each other but found comfort in the companionship. He was no monster, she could tell, but he was always gone before morning, and she had yet to catch a glimpse of him. Only her fingers had painted a picture of him through the darkness while he slept. Plush lips, a distinct nose, brows relaxed during his slumber...She yearned to know this man, especially when she woke before dawn to kisses along her shoulders. He didn’t ever touch her more than that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This man could not be the monster that the letter warned her about. And she hadn’t seen the other stranger again, only the man in her bed during the darkness of night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey decided that the mystery must not remain so any longer. When Maz had turned her gaze, Rey quickly snatched a candlestick, hiding it away. The day continued as always, with Rey tinkering and the stranger just...gone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was by the green light of the spirits in the sky that she slipped out of bed and out of the man’s arms to reach for the candle. Carefully, she lit it, and tiptoed across the wooden floors. Rey prayed to the gods that the silence would be undisturbed. The flickering gold light made shadows waltz across the room. Rey took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she may find that lay between the sheets. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The light first drew her eyes to his hair, glistening, taunting Rey to run her hands through it. With a staggering breath, she followed a scar down from his forehead, across his eye, to his cheek. Dotted along his cheeks like stars in the sky were dark moles, leading across the bridge of his nose. Her wandering fingers had been right, his lips were full, parted as he slept soundly. The man was large, much like-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey hissed as the wax dripped on to her fingers, and she tilted it away from her, only for the remaining wax to spill on to the man’s bare chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She found out his eyes were the richest brown and held a terrifying amount of emotion as he startled awake, sitting up quickly. His voice was deep as he hissed in pain. Rey stood still, her heart thumping, echoing in her ears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What have you done,” he demanded, standing swiftly. Rey took a step back, hitting the wall. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His full lips pulled away from his teeth, nearly hissing at her. With a gasp, Rey shrank back, memories of Plutt flooding through her mind. Eyes closed, she braced herself. For what, she didn’t know yet, but his anger was so nearly tangible that she could taste it. She felt him take the anger with him as he fled the room. She stood, stunned, as her eyes fluttered open. A glance at the disturbed bed, and she was fast to follow him out of the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come back,” she called, chasing him down the hall. His height was to his advantage, quickly outpacing her. It was when she got to the door, that he disappeared completely. Without a thought, she fled after him.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  
  <span>Rey was lost. It was the beginning of dawn, and she was deep within the forest along the fjord. She paused, thankful that the spring was warming, and the mountainside was starting to lighten. Fog lingered along the landscape like a lover’s touch, and she basked in the morning. She would wait until midday to begin to worry about where she was. For now, she would enjoy nature, the love songs of the birds that flitted amongst the trees, the whispers of the wind as it blew through the fjord. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her heart stopped as she saw a large black figure start through the fog. Rey stood still, hoping that it wasn’t a bear. She didn’t have anything to defend herself with. But if she stood still, she may be able to-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A glint of silver caught her eye. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the stranger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey started across the foggy clearing, towards the one thing she recognized in the depths of the forest. The stranger came to a halt, stopping a few meters in front of her. This time, there was no silence between them, only the humming of nature around them. Slowly, the stranger’s hands reached to his helm and pulled it off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the man from between her sheets, with the soft hair that tickled her neck, and the large hands that cradled her waist on the coldest of winter’s nights. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s you,” she breathed, taking a step further. “After all of this time…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry that I lied to you. That you shared the bed of a monster,” the stranger’s voice was deep and calm like the water that lay in the fjord. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His letter. He had called himself a monster. But the man who stood in front of her clearly wasn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t even know your name, so who am I to judge if you’re a monster?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His lips quirked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My name is Ben.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Did I end it a la Pride and Prejudice? yes, yes I did. I had no intentions of doing that, but it kinda just happened lol</p></blockquote></div></div>
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